Tag Archives: illustrator

If you had to describe each of your favorite movies with a color, what colors would you choose?

It’s a question that’s often on Chu Sin-hang’s mind. As a serious movie buff, this Hong Kong-based illustrator enjoys reimagining her favorite movies as Pantone colors. Then, using these colors as canvases, she recreates iconic scenes with strokes of black and white. The project began in 2017, when she put Léon: The Professional (1994) on a backdrop of Apple Green, and it’s kept growing ever since. As of today, Chu’s FILMTONE series features over 100 charming illustrations of movies across all genres.“The FILMTONE series is basically just my way of sharing the movies that I love with others,” she says.

We caught up with Chu one afternoon and asked her to recommend some of her favorite films for different moods and occasions in the hopes of uncovering some hidden gems that might have slipped under our radar.

What movie do you never hesitate to watch again, no matter how many times you’ve seen it?

I’ve watched and re-watched countless Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films since I was a little kid. I can always pick up something new on each viewing.

你已经看了好多次、但绝对会毫不犹豫再看一次的电影

从小时候到现在，我看了无数次宫崎骏的动画电影。每一次我都可以从中获得一点新的东西。

Spirited Away (2001) / 《千与千寻》

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) / 《哈尔的移动城堡》

Princess Mononoke (1997) / 《幽灵公主》

What have you seen recently that you’d recommend to all your friends?

Searching (2018). The creative use of texting, webcams, and FaceTime videos was really cool and made it a worthwhile watch.

一部你最近刚看完，想分享给身边所有朋友的电影

《网络谜踪》运用了非常有创意的叙事手法，电影全由手机短信、网络摄像机、视讯画面等 “荧幕” 所见画面组成，我觉得实在太酷了，很值得一看。

Searching (2018) /
《网络谜踪》

What Hong Kong film would you recommend to someone who’s never seen any?

I’d recommend Chungking Express (1994) by Wong Kar-wai. It’s about the melancholy and loneliness of living in a large metropolis. The film was shot in locations with frenetic urban energy, like Lan Kwai Fong and Tsim Sha Tsui, so the audience can get a taste of Hong Kong’s hustle and bustle, as well as its beauty.

I think Once (2007) is one of the best movies for a first date. First dates are about finding out if you can connect with someone and how you connect with them. Once is a movie that talks about these subtle connections.

推荐一部適合第一次約會的電影

《曾经》是我认为最适合第一次约会看的电影！对我来说第一次约会是在寻找自己与对方是否有内心连结的过程，这部电影就是在描述这种微妙情感的故事。

Once (2007) / 《曾经》

What’s a good movie to watch on sleepless nights?

I’d pick Lost in Translation (2003). Watching Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) deal with ennui and culture shock in Tokyo always pulls me into a state of jet-lag-like dreaminess. This mood makes me feel out of place and exhausted—and hence, cures my insomnia.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) by Michel Gondry is about a couple who decide to undergo a medical procedure to erase each other from their memories after their relationship turns sour. Although the ending is sad, the movie reminds us there’s plenty of joy along the way. I think this movie might, to a certain extent, soothe a broken heart.

What movie would you recommend to cheer up someone who’s down in the dumps?

Amélie (2001) by Jean-Pierre Jeunet always helps me when I’m feeling my lowest. There’s something beautiful about the character Amélie. If you’re depressed, the comedic scenes will help perk you up.

如果有一部电影，能够把一个悲伤的人变成最快乐的人，你觉得会是哪一部?

《天使爱美丽》总是帮助我度过难过的时候。主角艾蜜莉好像有一种魔力，能把你从悲伤拯救出来。

Amélie (2001) / 《天使爱美丽 》

Has a movie ever left you so stunned that you couldn’t get up from your seat even after the credits?

Yes, The Truman Show (1998). The film explores the idea of surveillance and takes it to an extreme. The plot seems ridiculous at first, yet there’s quite a lot to reflect on. It messed with my head and made me question myself. What if every moment of my life was being monitored for public entertainment? What if my existence was a lie? What if the society I lived in was a conspiracy?

If you were stranded on a desert island and could pick just one movie to keep you company, what would it be?

You’ve reminded me of a film I enjoyed a lot but haven’t drawn yet! I’d probably bring Cast Away (2000) by Robert Zemeckis. If I were stuck on a desert island, Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) and Wilson the volleyball would definitely be my best companions. This movie would be a lifesaver. It would also help me deal with loneliness and mental anguish.

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Korean illustrator Shin Morae‘s work has dazzling gentleness. She takes slices of life from the young generation and places her characters in everyday settings: at home by the window, out in the street, and under the glow of neon lights.

Shin’s drawings often use backdrops of pink, powder blue, or violet. “I don’t like pink, I just think it’s a good ‘material,'” she explains. “My drawings are a little depressing, so I need to tone that down through color. And pink is the best color for conveying a sort of funky mood. “

She wants her work to resonate with others, so she cleverly combines color and urban youth culture with a highly interactive observational style. “Usually I start by writing in my notebook, then do the drawing with digital software,” she says. “The writing stage puts the emotions in. I want people to read my drawings the way they read an article.”

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Living in such a fast-paced age, how many beautiful things do we overlook?

Peony Yip, a Hong Kong-based artist originally from Jamaica, is a close observer of beautiful things. She draws in a clean, graceful style, giving lush flowers, stems, and even fine strands of hair a deft realism.

“Nowadays, I feel as if beautiful things or beauty itself is judged by the amount of ‘likes’ it gets or how much the internet praises it. It is quite saddening,” she says. “I try to make works with subjects that are beautiful to me, and over the years, I’ve taken a deep liking to flowers. I really want to show nature in my pieces as much as I can.” With their meticulously traced lines, Yip’s drawings have a compact energy that leaves viewers marveling at the beauty of flowers bursting into full bloom.

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From Kazuki Okuda‘s pen comes a crocodile peeking out among the branches of an ancient tree and a giant graceful dragonfly perched on a girl’s chest. Other illustrations feature golden carp, green frogs, and emerald-headed mallards. We’re far from cities of concrete: this is a story of humans and nature.

Okuda’s works are exquisite and expansive, like a cicada’s delicately veined wings that, though small, create a resounding chorus from high in the trees. His works teem with all sorts of tiny creatures, and viewed from a distance, they form an epic, cinematic composition.

Okuda was born in Nara Prefecture and now lives in Kyoto. “The place I grew up has a lot of nature near where people live,” he says. In his view Japan is a mystical country, and the close relationship of nature and culture has given rise to a unique spiritual concept called yaoyorozu no kami (八百万の神, literally “eight million spirits”). Spirits, or kami, live in all things and are part of nature’s diversity. “While living there [in Nara], nature gave me the impression of both extreme charm and extreme fear,” he recalls.

Insects feature prominently in Okuda’s art. These organisms have a particularly complex body structure that nevertheless looks very simple. One reason he draws them, he says, is that “although they’re beautiful, they cause fear. They simultaneously give rise to various conflicting emotions. They are living creatures like human beings, but they’re more a part of nature than we are, and unlike us, they are akin to the spirits. Using them, I can express the idea of yaoyorozu no kami and the various feelings I get from nature.”

Nature is an important motif in Okuda’s work, and he shows this by insistently drawing living creatures. But he doesn’t want his paintings to show the splendor of nature alone—culture also occupies an important place. “I draw insects and living things with human beings to represent the wonders of culture and the wonders of nature,” he says.

“Insects and living creatures are an important channel through which we connect with nature. And this is an important theme,” he says. “I want people who see my pictures to be interested in nature and living things. And I also want them to have an adventure in the world inside the painting—an adventure at the intersection of culture and nature. something that’s fun.”

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“My name is Xuan Loc. It means spring bud.” Perhaps what gives the art of Vietnamese illustrator Xuan Loc Xuan such a lasting charm, with its fresh, springlike colors, is the meaning behind her name.

Xuan’s simple tones are taken from nature’s loveliest scenes: the greens of open fields, the blues of sea and sky, and the pinks of new spring buds provide the palette for her artwork. “The immense blue sky with small white clouds, the beautiful wild beaches, the erratic weather in Saigon—all of these inspired me in my work.”

Xuan painstakingly plans every detail in her art. Under the misty hues of smoke or clouds lies a layer of coarse paper fibers, and together these textures and hues combine to create a simple, natural effect. “I tend toward minimalism,” she says. “I use color as a main factor in my works. For me, colors determine the strength of a picture. As for my technique, I don’t draw surroundings or use background color but focus on the main subject. I carefully portray everything, from the eyes to the rosy cheeks to the corner of the mouth. Sometimes the smallest elements become the main attraction.”

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We’re often limited in how much we can do and experience in our lives. To solve this dilemma, Chinese comic artist Nini created Maomao, an alter ego of herself who’s free to experience the things she can’t in her own life. “Maomao lives in a world of freedom, so she can completely be true to herself,” Nini says.

Born in the summer of 2015, Maomao is a blonde girl with unshaven legs who, in every scene, appears nonchalant about her nakedness. To understand Maomao, you only need to read the comics, but what about the artist behind her? To learn more about Nini, we decided to play a fun game of questions with her.

Name: NiniHoroscope: VirgoBirthday: August 23rdLife motto: Be happy all the time.

基本信息

姓名: NiNi星座: 处女座生日:8.23人生信条:及时行乐

Favorite Things

Favorite subject: Art, lalala.Favorite food: Sweet, spicy, cold.Favorite Song: Ugh, how am I suppose to pick just one.Favorite movie: Can’t decide on a favorite, but the first movie that comes to mind is Happy Together.Favorite colors: Red and green. Pink and purple. Purple and green.Favorite novel: I don’t read books.Favorite comic artist: I like any comic artist with a playful spirit.

The place you wish to go most: The fewer people, the better.A period of time you miss the most: Studying for my entrance exam to postgraduate school. Boohoo.Favorite activity: Taking walks on nights with pleasant weather.Happiest memory from this year: Getting into postgraduate school.Favorite ice cream flavor: Sea salt.Worst fear: Bugs on my legs.If you were an object or animal, what would you be: Probably a pig.Number of secret crushes: One or two?Something you can’t stand: A windowless room.The person you want to see the most: I want to take a shower.Where you’ll end up in ten years: Living in a friends’ house.Favorite thing about yourself: Tough question.Saddest experience: Too many to name.Pets you’ve owned: I can’t even take care of plants. Forget it.Something you refuse to eat: Insects.

Have you ever been too shy to confess your love: Nope.Would you rather have someone who loves you or someone you love: Both.Most coveted Valentine’s Day gift: Buy me a house?Normal bedtime: Usually 1 or 2 am.How much do you drink: I’m an alcoholic.What would you wear on a date: Something comfortable.Most trusted people in life: My mom and my friends.The person you love is asleep in front of you, what do you do: Turn on air conditioning.Biggest regret of 2018: 2018 isn’t over yet.The most touching memory: Someone letting me stay at their house.Mom or dad: Mom.The last time you gave a heartfelt laugh: This afternoon.Your favorite person: Caishen, the god of wealth.Biggest desire: Make a ton of money.

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Like a modern reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, Tran Nguyen‘s works show gigantic young women and wild beasts towering above tiny houses, set against seas of fog and distant mountains. Born in Vietnam and raised in the U.S., Nguyen creates works that seem less like paintings than scenes from a fantasy film.

Growing up between contrasting Vietnamese and American cultures, Nguyen has long been fascinated with dichotomies. How can two concepts be both parallel and perpendicular at the same time? It’s all dependent on perspective — ideas that initially seem incompatible with one another may actually be complementary once you examine the relationship between them. This understanding carries over into her art, which are masterful balancing acts that makes use of a multitude of contrasts. “Though I’m naturally drawn to melancholic narratives, I added the animal companions to make the painting feel less solemn,” she notes as an example. “The scale of the characters is also meant to contrast against the ordinary environments that each scene is set in, adding a sense of majesty and surrealism.”

“Ultimately, I want my viewers to reflect and feel a sense of well-being from my art,” she says. “However they perceive my work, I hope it somehow puts them at ease, especially if they feel down on their luck.”

In one illustration, a slime-covered shark with jet engines on its fins swims through a tangle of video game cables and old brick cell phones. In another, flowers with fanged petals wrap their stems around a pair of faded blue jeans. One more features floating ketchup and mustard bottles, Chuck Norris as a merman with hair dryers in both hands, plus an array of other surreal elements, all of which are sandwiched between two giant hamburger buns.

These are the imaginings of Singaporean artist Adeline Tan. Her work—a mixture of illustration, commissioned murals, and personal painting—take on various roles and purposes. “Art is comforting, it helps me manage negative emotions,” she explains. “As a Singaporean child growing up in the ‘80s, there was a lot of pressure to perform academically. Children find ways to cope, and for me, it was drawing. My parents quickly discouraged me, of course.”

What began as a creative outlet quickly grew to become her passion. She worked for years as a graphic designer, during which she struggled to find time for creating personal works. 2013, when Tan gave birth to her little boy, was a pivotal year for her. “I quit my day job to become a mother and focused more on painting and drawing as it had more flexibility than the long hours of a designer,” she says. “From there, I created a lot more personal work and self-initiated projects.”

While Tan’s output is diverse, having a child definitely had an impact on the subject matters she works with. “After my son was born, I began exploring themes like an imagined future of our natural environment, family history, and nightmares,” things that her family deals with and that her son may have to as an adult. “I’ve also taken up more children- and education-related projects. One collaborator I especially love is EYEYAH Magazine.” An example of the work she does with them is her piece on mutant E-waste, and how toxic products end up in the ocean and other places.

While she does lots of digital work, her favorite medium is painting. Often, that includes watercolors of plants with copious stems entangled in her trademark style. Tan also does a lot of mural work, something the artist began exploring a couple years ago. “I find that the difficulty faced when trying out a new format or medium or size is also exciting in the sense that I get to learn something new,” she says. “You are forced to look at the work in a different way, forced to use different brushes or tools from those you are comfortable with.”

The most recent mural she worked on was a collaboration with 32 other artists. Organized by artist Skl0, their work was printed on a replica of the HBD government subsidized housing blocks that the majority of Singaporeans live in. Tan’s work included a three-story unit consisting of a monster floral pattern on the outside wall, with a yeti-like couple dancing inside the windows. She also worked with artist Tiffany Lovage to create a life-sized mural of a tiger in X-ray view, leaping among tiger lilies, with the stripes on its body formed by a pattern of mutant tiger orchids.

Her characteristically dense and comical works, with multiple objects thickly entangled with one another, lend themselves to a variety of outlets. But no matter how her work is presented—whether it be a stamp collection, an animated GIF, the painted fabric of a pair of pants and sneakers, or a children’s illustration—Tan’s style always feels like a perfect fit.

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Beijing-based illustrator Tiepi Guaiya (meaning “An Odd, Iron-clad Duck” in English) is an artist whose love for sci-fi and adventure shines through in his work. Each stand-alone frame is an immersive story that pulls viewers deep into the scene. With surreal details peppered throughout his work, his drawings invite viewers to journey into the depths of his active imagination. Summing up his own art, he describes it as consisting of “space, aliens, monsters, wild animals, skateboards, bicycles, pimped-out rides, fashion, sexual desire, local Beijing culture, and everything else that seems cool.”

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“My name is Ye Zhijun, I’m in my 20s, I’m a virgo, and I love photography, drawing, and food.”

Endearing and direct, just like her drawings, Ye Zhijun’s description of herself can’t help but bring a smile to your face. Ye’s works rarely strike a gloomy or grumbling note, because most of the time the people in her drawings are too busy happily stuffing their faces.

That’s the unique charm of Ye’s words and images: you feel like you’ve known her all your life.

When Ye graduated from University of the Arts London, she felt lost: “I was drawing every day, but I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life.”

Back then she’d often go out to eat at little hole-in-the-wall restaurants. No matter how perplexed or lonely she felt, when seated in front of something delicious, “for a few moments my entire body felt cured. So I thought, why not put all these dishes into my drawings?”

“The first thing I drew was a super simple but extraordinarily delicious bowl of noodles with scallion oil,” she says. “You put the chopped scallions on the strained noodles, add a bit of sugar and light soy sauce, then pour the hot oil on top. You can hear the noodles sizzle, and then the fragrance of scallion fills the entire kitchen. You mix it all together and take a big bite. It simply fills your heart with joy.”

Since then, eating and drawing have become the two main parts of her day. “Drawing accounts for 60%, eating accounts for 35%. But when I draw, most of the subject matter is still food related.”

After toiling away for an entire year, in 2016 Ye published her first comic book, It’s Not Fun Until It’s Drawn: London.

From rice bowls to roujiamo (a Chinese hamburger), from French pastries to Oreos, from snacks to hors-d’oeuvre to main courses, Ye’s drawn it all—and of course, she’s probably eaten it, too.

Asked why she’s so obsessed with food, Ye gives a serious answer: “Food does more than just fill your belly—it can also comfort your soul,” she says. “Behind every dish there’s a story. There may always be something even tastier than what you’re eating, but the people and ingredients that made that dish can never be replaced. They linger in our hearts and are hard to forget.”

In fact, Ye’s favorite dish, fried Chinese bread, is something she loves because it’s filled with love. “That was the first thing Chef made for me,” she says.

Chef is her boyfriend, and as his nickname suggests, he’s the one who does the cooking. “I remember once when driving back to Beijing with Chef I said I’d never met anyone who was so good to me. I’d never felt such kindness. Chef laughed and said, ‘I love you, that’s why I like to cook for you.’ That simple sentence utterly moved me. Every day I say, ‘I’m so happy I met you.'” Sweeter words are hard to imagine.

Ye says that the pudgy girl in the drawings is “one side of me.” Everyone has something to share, and the girl in the drawing is her window for sending the world faith, hope, and love.

“What I want to tell people is, not everything you experience in life can be perfect. But whether something is good or bad is up to you to decide. I hope everyone who sees my drawings can live without fear, and enjoy the people and things they encounter in life.”